MALVERN, PA -- USA Technologies Inc. said consumers spend one-third more on average when making a cashless purchase based on a July sales analysis of 10,000 vending machines fitted with its ePort cashless payment system.

The study, encompassing more than nine million cash and cashless transactions, found that consumers spent 33% more, or 37¢ more per transaction, when they used a credit or debit card compared with cash, increasing the average transaction from $1.13 to $1.50.

Cashless usage was approximately 26% of total sales on machines equipped with an ePort -- up 73% from 15% usage in a similar study conducted three years ago.